In the southwest of Victoria early colonisation has meant First Nations men may be especially disconnected from traditional ways and culture.
Social and emotional wellbeing caseworker at Gunditjmara Aboriginal Cooperative, Levi Geebung, has experienced firsthand what connecting with culture can do for one's sense of identity.
"For most of my early childhood into my teenage years, I was completely disconnected from my culture," he said.
"I wasn't aware of who I was and where I was from, but after connecting with my late father, he passed down his knowledge of traditional woodworking and art.
"And once I'd found that it was like I had found a bit of myself that was missing, culture provides us with connection and identity."
Working with the Gunditjmara Men's Group, Mr Geebung said bringing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men together to yarn in a culturally safe environment is grounded in deep understanding of cultural values and practices.
In Victoria, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander suicide rates are three times higher than that of the non-Indigenous population.
A report released by the Coroners Court of Victoria in February of this year found 80 per cent of people who died by suicide had been diagnosed with a mental health issue, such as depression, anxiety and/or mood disorders.
Mr Geebung, a Bidjara and Gunditjmara man himself, said Gunditjmara Men's Group is about finding a safe space for other men.
"It's just about men coming around and yarning to other men in a safe space, in a place where there's no judgment," he said.
"Some of these men that we have in our groups, that's all they want to do is just catch up with other men who are hanging out.
"Just hanging out as friends and yarning together having a feed and in the process practicing our culture."
Currently, Mr Geebung and Gunditjmara Men's Group are working on a men's cam with a focus on mental health.
"We are working on a cultural camp, men's group camp, and that's one that I'm really looking forward to because our main focus for the actual camp will be around mental health," he said.
"Also have that connection to Country, getting out on Country and also a big one is just cultural practice.
"Getting out and doing the things that our ancestors once did so that's a big one right now."
